Abstract

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine whether spillover from “nonwork” to work contributes to individuals' well-being.

Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to New Zealand local government employees. Positive (facilitation) and negative (conflict) spillover from two “nonwork” domains (family and personal benefit activities) to work were investigated. The survey also assessed psychological involvement (in work, family and personal benefit activities), time devoted to each domain, and self-reported well-being in each area.

Findings – Levels of nonwork-to-work facilitation were moderate, and significantly higher than nonwork-to-work conflict, and well-being was moderately high (although greater for the family and personal benefit domains than for work). There were significant positive relationships between psychological involvement in the nonwork domains and levels of facilitation from these domains to work, and nonwork-to-work facilitation was associated with higher well-being. Time invested in family and personal activities was not linked with greater nonwork-to-work conflict. Mediation analyses indicated that psychological involvement (in family and personal activities) was associated with increased facilitation, which in turn enhanced well-being.

Practical implications – Engagement in family and personal benefit activities yields positive outcomes for individuals, in terms of their psychological well-being and facilitation of work-related outcomes. Encouragement to engage in these areas can therefore be beneficial for both individuals and their employing organizations.

Originality/value – The main contribution of this research is that involvement in personal benefit activities (as another component of the “nonwork” domain, in addition to family activities) can have positive outcomes for individuals, resulting in facilitation of work outcomes and positive well-being.